Towards an early warning and information system for invasive alien species (IAS) threatening biodiversity in Europe

We would like to thank EEA staff, in particular Ivone Pereira Martins (Head of Biodiversity Group), Ahmet Uludag (Project Manager, Invasive Alien Species) and Carlos Romao (Project Manager, Biodiversity and Ecosystems), for the support inrealising the present report. Special thanks also go to Tor-Bjorn Larsson who contributed to the launch of this initiative and provided useful comments and suggestions while working for EEA.

The present report is an abridged version of the report 'Towards an early warning and information system for invasive alien species (IAS) threatening biodiversity in Europe', prepared by a team of experts led by Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA) (Italy, Rome) within a project financed by the European Environment Agency (EEA) (ContractNo. 3606/B2008/EEA.53386). That report was based on a literature analysis, an in-depth assessment of the European situation, a review of the early warning and rapid response frameworks in other regions of the world, and replies to a questionnaire circulated to representatives and experts from 38 European countries.

Preface

Towards a pan-European early warning and rapid response system to tackle biological invasions — the crucial role of information management

In recent decade, invasions of various alien species have become a major driver of biodiversity loss, second only to habitat fragmentation. One-third of bird species included in the IUCN Red List, 6 % of mammals, and 11 % of amphibians are threatened by invasive species, which account for more extinctions worldwide than any other agent.

Europe is particularly affected by alien species, which are invading the continent an unprecedented pace. DAISIE — a Sixth Framework Programme project funded by the EU — records the presence of more than 10 000 alien species in Europe. Theirimpact means that many of the region's rarest endemic species are on the brink of extinction. Examples include the European mink, the white‑clawed crayfish and the white-headed duck.

Invasions do not only threaten our biodiversity. They also affect our well-being and economies, causing losses exceeding EUR 12 billion annually, endangering the ecosystem services that we depend on and transforming the landscapes that haveformed Europe's cultural background for millennia.

The European Commission has formally recognised the urgent need to tackle invasions in its Communication 'Towards an EU Strategy on Invasive Species' (COM (2008) 789 final). There it commits to develop a policy on the issue and establish an early warning system. The Council of European Ministers endorsed these commitments in the Conclusions of its 2953rd meeting (Luxembourg, 25 June 2009). In addition, G8 Environment Ministers in 2009 stressed the urgent need to combat invasive species, calling on the world community to establish a global early warning system.

The rapid increase in invasive species in recent decades requires us to implement these commitments immediately. In particular, establishing an early warning and rapid response framework should be a key target for post-2010 biodiversity protection activities.

It is essential that we improve our ability to react to invasions. That means enhancing prompt detection of new incursions and correct taxonomic identification of invaders, assessing related risks and ensuring immediate reporting of relevantinformation to the competent authorities.

The present publication is the EEA contribution to achieving this goal. It is based on a longer EEA‑managed study, 'Towards an early warning and information system for invasive alien species (IAS) threatening biodiversity in Europe'. Preparedby leading European scientists led by ISPRA, the study assesses the models for a European early warning system, identifying key challenges and cost estimates for different institutional managements.

In past years, the EEA has invested considerable resources in addressing the issue of alien species. Another major initiative in this context was the Streamlining European 2010 Biodiversity Indicators (SEBI 2010) project, aimed at ensuring maximum streamlining and comparability of national, regional and global biodiversity indicators. A specific SEBI 2010 Expert Group on Trends in Invasive Alien Species in Europe developed specific indicators for inclusion in the SEBI 2010 indicator set.

Ensuring transparent and authoritative information sharing has always been the core business of EEA. Integrating knowledge about invasive species into the Biodiversity Information System for Europe (BISE), and supporting advanced platforms to share biodiversity information across Europe, will enhance science‑based decision-making, a key contribution from EEA.

Most popular related searches

Related articles

Forget laughter: Biodiversity could be the best medicine, at least when it comes to keeping plants healthy.
Scientists have long been intrigued by how the number of plant species in an area affects plants’ risk of getting slammed by disease. In general, viewpoints boil down to two competing theories. The first, known as amplification, contends that the more plant species there are at a site, the more hosts there will be, and so the more disease there will be as well. The other, known as dilution, suggests...

Reducing our consumption of animal products can go a long way toward conserving endangered habitat around the world.
Agriculture expansion is the leading driver of natural habitat loss worldwide. However, most of this growth is not to produce vegetables, fruits or grains to be eaten by people. Ecosystems are destroyed overwhelmingly to feed livestock. Livestock production uses roughly three-fourths of all agricultural land and 30 percent of the land surface of earth, making it the largest use of land by humankind....

In biodiversity assessments, especially of small‐bodied organisms for which taxonomic expertise is lacking, identification by genetic barcoding may be a cost‐effective and efficient alternative to traditional identification of species by morphology, ecology and behavior. Here we test the feasibility and accuracy of such an approach using dung insects of practical relevance in ecotoxicological assessments of veterinary pharmaceutical residues in the environment. We produced eight known mixtures that varied in...

In spite of the great environmental and sanitary importance of cyanobacteria, their biodiversity is little known in Tunisia. In this work, a review was carried out, based on literature data, of potentially toxic cyanobacteria occurrence in Tunisia. Microcystis, one of the most widely distributed toxic bloom-forming cyanobacteria genera, was represented by Microcytis wesenbergii, found only in Lebna water reservoir, and Microcytis aeruginosa recorded in different water bodies. The invasive potentially toxic...

Across the world, a web of researchers is stitching together millions of data points to present a story of how tropical ecosystems are faring in a changing world.
The Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring Network connects 16 sites across Africa, Asia and Latin America and helps researchers standardize and share data on biodiversity, land cover change, climate and ecosystem services in tropical forests.
According to the project website, “The TEAM Network is collecting data to help us understand the...

Customer comments

No comments were found for Towards an early warning and information system for invasive alien species (IAS) threatening biodiversity in Europe. Be the first to comment!